A Strawberry Grows in Middle Earth
by Scyler
Summary: Ichiro is unceremoniously dropped into Middle Earth at the start of the final battle of the Second Age. Two centuries later our favorite band of dwarves arrive in Rivendell and our orange haired hero joins them on their epic quest. *has both the Hobbit and LotR content and major canon divergence*
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Ok, this may seem ridiculously out of character for me but I just had to do it! The concept for this story has been running around in my head for ages and has finally decided to become belligerent enough that it had to be written. I hope you all like this thing and I hope (to all the die-hard LotR fans out there) that no one is too OOC in anything! I'm trying here, people! Well, anyway, here we go! Please read and review! **

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><p>-3rd person Ichigo POV-<p>

A heavy black blade sliced quickly and easily through a gruesome white mask, causing the beast behind it to disintegrate. A howl filled the air as some of its "friends" turned to the orange haired man holding the blade. Growling softly the orange haired man brandished his twin swords. Several of the Hollows lunged at him at the same time, forcing him to jump backwards several feet. Striking out with the longer of the two blades the orange haired teen dispatched another two Hollows.

"Damn it, Rukia! Where the hell are you?" he cursed slicing through another two Hollows.

A sudden wave of intense power had both Ichigo and the Hollows freezing. Ichigo straightened out of his defensive stance a bit, brown eyes looking around cautiously. The Hollows, on the other hand, took the ograngette's momentary distraction as a chance to attack. All of them lunged at him at once. Ichigo barely had any time to bring his blades back up before a bright white light surrounded him, temporarily blinding him. When the spots finally faded from his eyes the orange haired man found that he was standing on a small cliff overlooking a large, rocky field. There were two armies on either side of the field, one in gold and silver armor and the other in black.

Crouching down the Substitute Shinigami looked over the field. He tried in vain to find the reiatsu of the Hollow's he'd been fighting but found nothing. Shaking his head Ichigo turned his full attention to the two armies. By now the two sides had rushed at each other, beginning the fighting. After watching the fight for a few minutes Ichigo's sharp eyes picked out a lone brunette warrior in golden armor. He was so focused on his current opponent that he didn't even notice the enemy swords… thing charging right at him. Gritting his teeth the Shinigami leaped forward. Flying over the field he ignored the other combatants in favor of helping the man who was obviously a commander.

"Get down!" he shouted when he got closer, pulling back Zangetsu's longer blade in preparation for his signature move (but on a smaller scale).

The brunette only spared the teen a seconds glance before dropping to the ground. With the familiar shout of the attack flying from his lips Ichigo swung the black blade forward. The blistering attack sailed over the brunette harmlessly, slicing easily through the oncoming enemy troops. Landing lightly Ichigo turned to the brunette who was staring wide eyed at him.

"Are you OK?" Ichigo asked tilting his head to the side a bit, suddenly realizing that the man in front of him had pointed ears.

"Y-yes, I am alright," the man said looking confusedly at Ichigo. "Who are you and how did you get here?"

"As to the first part I'm Ichigo Kurosaki and for the second thing I have no idea." Ichigo replied with a shrug. "Where am I anyway?"

-3rd person Elrond POV-

Staring at the strange boy, Ichigo Kurosaki he said his name was, Elrond simply blinked. He didn't know where he was or how he got here? That was a strange predicament indeed. The Elf lord opened his mouth to tell the boy where he was when the young man's brown eyes suddenly sharpened. Suddenly there was a firm grip on the brunette's arm before he was pulled roughly backward. Ichigo leaped forward, letting go of the elf lord as he did, and swung the longer of his two swords straight up. Elrond whirled around in the same instant, fully prepared to demand why the teen reacted that way but his demand died on his lips. The answer was right in front of him; a large troll had somehow snuck up on them. Ichigo had seen it and was simply reacting. Then, as he watched, a long line ran straight up the troll's body before it fell. As it fell the two halves of its body landed on their sides, having been split in two by a single slash of the orange haired man's blade.

"How did you do that?" the elf asked because the teen was obviously human and there was no way that he should have possessed that kind of strength.

"Huh? You mean slicing that thing in half? I just swung my sword," Ichigo replied as he turned to look at the brunette.

Elrond just stared at the teen for a few seconds before shaking his head slowly. There was still a battle going on. Looking back at Ichigo Elrond prepared to ask the teen to help them only to find that he was gone. Turning around again the elfin lord looked for the strange teen and found him slicing his way through several orcs. Apparently he didn't even need to ask the boy to help; he had already taken it upon himself to assist them. Smirking slightly Elrod turned and jumped back into the fighting himself, little did he know just how different things were going to become.

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><p><strong>Me: Well? What do you all think? I plan on having a lot of fun with this but I really just hope that people actually like this thing. Anyway please click that lovely little button at the bottom and tell me what you think. Thanks! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**ME: ****OM FLIPPING G! I totally did not expect the response this thing has gotten! Wow! I posted this thing half expecting people to hate it but boy was I wrong. I'm glad you all like this thing so much!**

Responses to Reviews:

Marbles: **Thanks a lot. :D **

Guest (1): **Thanks! **

Guest (2): **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter.**

SakuraDragomir: **OMG! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me! :D **

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><p>Several hours later found the Last Alliance victorious but still Elrond was worried. Isildur had kept the One Ring after cutting it from Sauron's hand. That alone was enough to make him nervous but what really got to him was the fact that he could not find the orange haired boy, Ichigo. The elf lord had lost track of the teen during the battle and had yet to find him. Walking through the makeshift camp Elrond searched for any sign of the boy but found none. Just as he was about to give up he passed the area that the healers had taken over as their own. From within the tent he heard a voice cursing in a strange language, one he did not know at all. Deciding to take a closer look the brunette walked over to the tent and stepped inside.<p>

There, sitting on one of the benches as a healer wrapped a length of bandages around his torso was Ichigo. The orange haired teen's upper body had been stripped of his strange black and white clothing so that the healer could access all of his wounds. Elrond faintly wondered how the boy was even still conscious, what with the sheer volume of his injuries. From what he could see it looked like the teen had taken on Sauron himself!

His whole upper body was mottled with dark bruises and cuts. The worst of it, however was the giant bruise on his side. There were puncture wounds to go along with it that the healers had actually had to stitch together just to keep the teen from bleeding out. Now one of the elven healers was tightly wrapping bandages around Ichigo's torso. It was the tightness of the wrapping that had the teen cursing, not pain from his injuries. Elrond shook his head and stepped farther into the tent.

"Ichigo," he called softly trying to subtly get the teen's attention.

Brown eyes opened slowly and quickly focused on the brunette. Ichigo looked a little confused for a second before recognition sparked in his eyes. He smiled brightly at the elf before flinching as the healer tied off the bandages. Elrond chuckled softly at the death glare the teen leveled at the blond she-elf, sending the woman scurrying.

"Are you well, Ichigo?" Elrond asked walking over to the teen.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he replied grabbing his shirts, shooting a look at the elf. "I'm sorry, but what's your name again? I don't think I caught it earlier."

Elrond laughed again and shook his head, "I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell and I did not get the chance to introduce myself earlier so there was nothing to 'catch'."

"Oh, OK then," Ichigo said shrugging back into his shirts.

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds as Ichigo finished getting dressed. After tying the knot on the front of his clothing the teen looked up at the elf. There was a question in his eyes and the brunette just smiled, waving for the teen to follow him as he headed for the door. There was a slight scramble as the teen hurriedly grabbed his weapons and followed the elf back out into the sun.

-3rd person Ichigo POV-

Grabbing both of Zangetsu's blades Ichigo scrambled after the man. As he walked back outside he swung the longer blade over his shoulder, feeling the heavy weapon settle easily back into its natural place against his back while the other rested easily on his hip. He could feel the man, Elrond his mind supplied, watching him with interest as he did. Looking over at the man he gave the brunette a raised eyebrow.

"How do you keep your weapons attached if you don't have sheaths for them?" he asked tilting his head to the side a bit and showing off his pointed ears again.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm so used to just sticking them there and having them stay that I've never really thought about it," Ichigo replied with a shrug before squinting slightly at the man. "This may sound really rude and all, but, why do you have pointed ears? Is it some kind of costume or something?"

Elrond just blinked at him for a few seconds before laughing. Ichigo gave the man a disgruntled look as he folded his arms across his chest. Come to think of it, several of the other people he had seen also had pointed ears. At least a third of the army, to be specific, while another third were short bearded men and women. Ichigo knew that he really shouldn't be questioning it, what with everything he'd seen and all, but he couldn't help it. The whole thing was so surprising that he had to ask.

Finally Elrond calmed down enough to answer the teen, "Simple, I am an elf. Well, half elf, but still all elves have pointed ears."

"Oh… What about the short people with the beards? What are they?" Ichigo asked eyebrows knitting together slightly.

"Dwarves… Wait, how can you not know about the major races of Middle Earth?" Elrond asked.

"Middle Earth? What the hell is that? I'm from the country of Japan on planet Earth and there are no such things as elves and dwarves there. What's going on here?" Ichigo asked looking decidedly like a caged animal.

"Calm yourself. I am certain that there is a plausible explanation for all of this, Ichigo, but you need to calm down so that we can figure it out," Elrond said calmly holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

Ichigo just stared at Elrond for a few seconds, his whole body as stiff as a board. Several seconds passed before he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Finally, he opened his eyes and nodded at the brunette. Elrond gave him a nod as well as a gentle smile before leading him over to one of the quieter areas of the makeshift camp. Once there both men sat down slowly. Ichigo was still worried about what was going on but he allowed Elrond to ask him a few questions about what happened. The teen explained to the best of his ability before asking if he could have a few minutes alone. Elrond nodded and stood gracefully, saying something about needing to check on his people. Ichigo nodded and watched him walk away before grabbing both of Zangetsu's blades. Setting them both across his lap the teen closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled into his inner world.

-Ichigo's inner world-

_When he opened his eyes again he was sitting on the side of a tall glass paneled building. Standing slowly the orange haired Soul Reaper looked around. Spotting a flash of black and white he took off after it. As he came around the corner he saw both Zangetsu's talking. Stopping Ichigo took a few seconds to actually process what he was seeing. His white doppelgänger was actually having a civil conversation with his Quincy manifestation. Shaking his head quickly Ichigo stepped closer to the pair. _

_"__Hey! Zangetsu! Old Man!" he called using the name he originally called the manifestation when they first met. _

_"__Ichigo," the dark haired man said quietly with a nod. _

_"__King! Glad yar back!" Zangetsu called grinning like the mad man he was. _

_Shaking his head he approached the two spirits, fighting to keep a smile from his face. Thankfully both seemed to understand his use of the differentiation between their names. It was necessary especially after Ichigo had made the claim that they were both "Zangetsu" and not two separate entities. Zangetsu dragged him back out of his thoughts by slinging an arm across his shoulders. Ichigo had to suppress a shudder at the feeling. He still wasn't used to the fact that his doppelgänger wasn't trying to kill him anymore. _

_"__So what's up, King? Ya haven't come ta see us in a while. Sumthin' must be up if ya decided ta come and see us like this," he said flashing his "twin" a smile. _

_"__Shiro, be nice," the manifestation chided lightly stepping forward as well. _

_Ichigo smiled before sighing, "There is something wrong you two. Some how we've been dumped into another world and I don't mean somewhere in the Soul Society or Hell. I mean a whole new world that I've never heard of." _

_That had both spirits looking at each other, uncertain. Zangetsu let his arm slip from Ichigo's shoulders as he stepped back a bit. He actually looked a little worried and that made Ichigo nervous. The Zanpakuto spirit hardly ever got nervous, to see him like that was scary. Hell, even the old man looked worried! _

_"__Guys" Ichigo asked softly feeling very off kilter. _

_"__Don't worry too much, Ichigo. We will figure this all out. You just concentrate on surviving whatever this new world throws at you. I will try and do some research by attempting to connect with any lost souls here alright?" the manifestation said placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. _

_"__Yeah, OK. That sounds good. Thanks, Old Man," Ichigo said managing a smile. _

_"__You are welcome, Ichi. Oh, call me 'Zan' if you don't mind. It's what he calls me when we talk," Zan said with a smile as he pointed at Zangetsu. "Also I think it might be a good time to go back to the real world. There's some one waiting for you." _

_"__Alright," Ichigo smiled. "I'll talk to you guys later then." _

_Both spirits nodded and Ichigo let himself fade from his inner world. _

Dropping back into his body Ichigo could feel two pairs of eyes on him. Opening his eyes he was met with Elrond's worried face and another elf, one that he vaguely recognized as someone he saved during the fight. The blond elf also looked a little worried, but his face showed a little more irritation than worry. Blinking slowly Ichigo shook his head slightly to clear away to the rest of the slight fog in his mind before speaking.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Nothing is wrong per say but I was a little worried. You were not breathing so I feared that your wounds had taken a greater toll on you than was first apparent," Elrond said relaxing just a little.

"I wasn't breathing?" Ichigo just looked at him for a few seconds before smiling and shaking his head. "Sorry about that. I was just talking to Zangetsu. I'm used to people around me knowing about it so I just did what I normally did. Sorry about that. As for my wounds, I've had far worse than this. Trust me on that, this is nothing."

"As you say…" the brunette trailed off as the blond at his side spoke up.

"You were talking to 'Zangetsu'? What is 'Zangetsu'?" he asked leaning forward a bit.

"My swords. 'Zangetsu' is their names. Thought I call the shorter blade 'Zan' while the longer is actually 'Zangetsu'. They are spirits that live in the blades and are part of my soul. And I'm sorry, but who are you?" Ichigo said giving the blond elf a confused look.

"Apologies, I am Thranduil of the Woodland Realm. You saved me from a troll," the blond, Thranduil, replied his face pinching slightly at the memory.

Ichigo just nodded before looking at Elrond, "Did you need something from me, Elrond?"

The brunette blinked at the lack of honorifics but smiled none the less, "Yes. I had a question for you. You can say no, but I just thought I should ask anyway."

"OK, shoot. What's your question?" Ichigo said giving the elf his undivided attention.

"I was wondering if, for the duration of your stay in Middle Earth, if you would consider staying in Rivendell either as my adopted son or simply as a resident," Elrond said a slightly nervous look in his eye. "As I said before you can say no. I just though that you would rather have a place that you can call your own while you are with us."

Ichigo blinked for a few seconds, processing. He could feel Zangetsu and Zan in the back of his head talking. Zan seemed to think the whole thing was a good idea but Zangetsu was a little more worried about it. Ichigo listened to them bicker for a few seconds before speaking up.

_Would staying in Rivendell make it easier to gather information, Zan? _he asked causing both spirits to focus on him.

_It would. I would have access to a library which would definitely make things considerably easier. _the manifestation replied quickly.

_Ya can't be serious, King! What about yar family back home? _Zangetsu said voice sharp.

_Don't you think I am worrying about them, Zangetsu? Would you rather I wander this world totally clueless or have a save base of operations where we can actually use things to figure out what we're up against? _Ichigo shot back.

That had the Zanpakuto shutting up and retreating while Zan spoke up, _I do believe you have an answer to give, Ichigo. _

Blinking quickly Ichigo refocused on Elrond. Again the elf had a worried look on his face but Ichigo was quick to smile at him.

"Sure. I'll stay with you in Rivendell and I'm cool with either the whole adoption thing or just being a resident. Just let me know before you start telling people what you think, OK?" Ichigo said with a smirk.

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><p>snippets<p>

**Me: Tada! There you have it! For the next chapter we're gonna only do a brief summary/snippets of things that happen to Ichigo up until the time the Company arrives in Rivendell. Hope ya'll stay tuned for that cuse it's gonna be fun!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: OK, here's chapter three! I know it's short; its supposed to be. It's just a summary of what happens to Ichigo up until the dwarves arrive in Rivendell. I hope you all like it anyway and decide to stick around; chapter four is where all the fun stuff happens! **

**Responses to reviews:**

SakuraDragomir: **Thanks a lot! :D I know this chapter probably isn't what you were hoping for but I hope it helps with a couple other things. :D Enjoy!**

Marules: **Thanks a lot. I do try my best and I am so sorry about the name thing. My computer has auto correct on it and it decided that your name was spelled wrong. I am really sorry about that. :( I totally did not mean "Marbles". **

Guest: **Thanks! I totally plan to keep working with this. :D **

name: **Thanks a lot. :D I hope you like this little chapter (emphasis on little). **

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><p>In the end Ichigo ended up becoming Elrond's adopted son. That subsequently led to him becoming the elder brother for Elrond's twin sons Elladan and Elrohir as well as his daughter Arwen. At first he had been a little concerned about being an older brother to three others but he got over it fairly quickly, especially when all three seemed to gravitate around him.<p>

As the years passed the teen, by now a man, learned how to fully control his soul reaper powers. He even mastered a good deal of kido, bakudo, and hado. Surprisingly it was something that all Zanpakuto knew subconsciously. The only problem with that was that Zangetsu loved to tease him about it and only actually started teaching after Zan smacked him upside the head. Along with learning the soul reaper arts Ichigo learned several of the other languages of Middle Earth. He could now speak Sindarin (all dialects), Khuzdul (he became friends with Durin IV), and several others. Ichigo also began to unlock and understand his Quincy abilities, thanks to Zan.

Speaking of Zan the manifestation, even with access to both elvish and Dwarvish libraries could not find a way for the young soul reaper to return home. He searched everything and even enlisted Elrond and Gandalf in his search. They had found a few documents talking about strangers arriving mysteriously in Middle Earth but there was absolutely nothing about them leaving. Or if there was it was either lost or totally illegible or in a dead language that no one understood anymore. That left the young soul reaper with one option; embrace living a new life in a new world. Despite being resigned to this fact the orangette embraced it wholly. That might have had something to do with having three younger siblings to look after, but no one was complaining. Ichigo adored the three of them and, when he wasn't training, he spent every waking moment with them.

Over the years he managed to teach them, and their father, Japanese. The four (sometimes five) would have private conversations even when there were others in the room. That might have been another reason Ichigo was so alright with staying; he got to teach and protect his younger siblings like he used to. He had also managed to keep in touch with the blond elf that he'd met after Sauron's defeat, Thranduil. Though it was rare for the soul reaper to pay the elfking a visit they exchanged plenty of letters. Ichigo had managed to charm a few ravens into being the vehicle by which they communicated. There for a while most of Thranduil's letters were rants about ruling the Woodland Realm after his father had been killed. In the end Ichigo had become one of his unofficial advisors, sending letters with little tidbits of things that the blond elf could use during his rule.

Ichigo soon became a well-known person throughout Middle Earth. After finding a very rare horse, a powerful black Friesian stallion that could live as long as he could, people started calling him the Fire Rider. It didn't help that the Friesian's shoes created sparks on stone even when he was walking. After getting into a fight shortly after finding the animal Ichigo named him Battle Cry because the horse seemed to just impulsively scream and trumpet challenges as he charged. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

After close to three semi-peaceful centuries everything changed. I say "semi-peaceful" because Ichigo was often riding around Middle Earth helping those that need it. Even with that there were no big fights that need his attention so he focused mostly on training himself and helping his three adopted siblings. Then, one day in June in the year 2941 of the Third Age, thirteen dwarves and a hobbit arrive in Rivendell.

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><p><strong>Alright, just a little note on Battle Cry: Yes, I know there aren't really any horse like that actually in the series! I made him up! He's kind of a cross between a demon horse and a normal Friesian. Believe me I know that there really, probably, isn't anything like him in the actual Talkies universe (I scoured the internet looking for something like that but found nothing), so Battle Cry and his design are totally mine! OK, rant over, :D I hope you all liked this chapter and will leave a nice review! Thanks guys!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Well, this took longer than it should have. Sorry about that. I really am. Anyway, we are about to get this quest underway! It's time for the dwarves arrival in Rivendell! I hope you all like this and thank you so much to my reviewers. **

**Responses to reviews:**

To Gorgantuan: **The next few chapters will have more material in them and chapter three was supposed to be ridiculously short. It was just a summary of what happened to Ichigo from Sauron's defeat to the dwarves arriving in Rivendell. As for the relationship stuff its slow build. Thorin and Bilbo are closer than in the movie but nothing's really happened yet, but Legolas starts out hating Ichigo because of his lack of respect for authority. I'm not a huge fan of the whole "love at first sight" thing anyway. I have plans to have Ichigo dial back on the powers. He still has them but doesn't use them all or if he uses them it's not all at once. :D**

To Heavenly God: **This basically follows the Hobbit movies and then will move into LotR (with some minor differences of course) Also what is "into the realm of magic"? **

To Guest: **Thanks a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter:**

To SakuraDragomir: **Thanks for the great review! Ichigo will show off some of his powers but not all at once. As for talking about his past that's going to happen later. I'm thinking after the Moon Runes or in Mirkwood. **

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><p>Ichigo was lounging in a tree when he senses fifteen different presences coming from the Hidden Pass. One was familiar; it was Gandalf. The old wizard had quickly become friends with Zan after the manifestation had started asking questions about Middle Earth. He had also helped Elrond teach Ichigo. It had been a few years since the wizard had been to the Last Homely House and the soul reaper wondered just what brought him back this time.<p>

Leaping gracefully from his perch the orangette shunpoed to the main entrance of to the city. When he arrived (willing himself invisible of course) he was Lindir greeting Gandalf and what looked like a company of fourteen dwarves. Upon closer inspection, though, Ichigo saw a lone hobbit standing behind the dwarf who was obviously in charge. Dropping to stand on the steps just behind the brunette elf, Ichigo bushed his hand over Lindir's shoulder, alerting the brunette elf to his presence. To his credit the brunette didn't flinch and just continued as thought nothing had happened.

"My Lord Elrond is not here," Lindir replied, a faintly bemused smile on his face.

"Oh, not here? Where is he?" Gandalf asked looking a little put out.

Before Lindir could reply there was the sound of pounding hooves on stone accompanied by an elvish horn. Ichigo smiled as he watched the dwarves pull into a tight circle around the youngest member of their company and the hobbit.

"Ifridî bekâr! (Ready Weapons!)" the leader shouted as he pulled the other dwarves to the circle. "Close ranks!"

Ichigo laughed softly as he leaned against the railing of the stairs, watching his adopted father and the hunting party circle the dwarves to calm their horses. Mere moments later they stopped and a tall brunette dismounted from a tall black horse. His eyes scanned the circle before settling on Ichigo. Sure, the elf couldn't really see him but he knew the orangette was there. Elrond looked at Gandalf though as he dropped lightly to the ground.

"Gandalf," he called a slightly bemused smile on his face.

"Ah, Lord Elrond," Gandalf replied with a smile and a small bow. "Mellon nin. Mo evínedh? (My friend. Where have you been?)"

"Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui. (We've been hunting a pack of orcs that came up from the south. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass.)" Elrond replied before switching to the common tongue as he passed an orc sword to Lindir. "Strange for orcs to come so near our boarders. Something, or someone, must have drawn them near."

At that Gandalf ducked his head a bit, clearly a little embarrassed, "That may have been us."

Elrond gave him a raised eyebrow but before he said anything Ichigo spoke, making himself visible as he did, "So that's where you all went in such a hurry."

"Ichigo! There you are my boy! It is good to see you again," Gandalf said smiling up at the orange haired man.

Ichigo smiled as he stepped passed Lindir. He had changed much over the last two, almost three, centuries. Where his hair used to only sit around his ears it now fell to just below his hips in a flat sheet of blazing orange. His ears had taken on a slightly pointed appearance and, somehow, he had managed to maintain a slight tan despite spending a lot of time indoors. The soul reaper's clothing had also taken a rather drastic change as well. Instead of the standard black shihakusho and hakama with the white crossed sash thing he wore he now wore a shirt that had decidedly elvish influences in the high collar and fit but that was the only thing about it that was elvish.

On the right side the sleeve was non-existent while the other came halfway down his upper arm and connected to a wide loose sleeve by a few strips of black leather. It may have looked off balance if not for the thick black leather bracer that covered his right forearm. He still wore his hakama but they had been adjusted to match his new height of 6'2" rather than his old 5'11". The difference here was that instead of the traditional white obi he wore a dark brown leather belt, also of elvish make and influence.

"Sorry I couldn't join you. Battle Cry was being difficult this morning and I didn't feel like either running or riding another horse," Ichigo said with a shrug. "Otherwise I would have been there."

Elrond chuckled softly and shook his head, "You would have been most appreciated."

It was Ichigo's turn to laugh now. The dwarves, who were still standing in a tight circle around the younger members of their group, glared mistrustfully at the orangette. He just smiled at them as he stepped aside to lean against the stone railing behind him. Elrond turned back to the dwarves and the hobbit, still smiling at his adopted son's words. He looked over the group and the black haired dwarf in charger stepped forward. There was a spark of recognition in the brunette's eyes as he stepped closer.

"Welcome, Thorin son of Thráin," he said giving the dwarf a slight bow.

"I do not believe we have met," the dwarf, Thorin, replied.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thrór when he ruled under the mountain," Elrond explained stepping forward a bit.

"Indeed? He made no mention of you," Thorin replied sharply despite the elbow to the side from the hobbit.

"Nartho I noer, toitho I viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail," the brunette said calmly, not even looking at Lindir as the other moved off to obey.

"What is 'e saying? Does he offer us insult?" one of the red headed dwarves asked shifting his grip on his weapon.

Ichigo chuckled before speaking, "Ada I think you might have been better off saying it in the common tongue rather than Sindarin. Unless you were trying to rile them up"

Thorin glanced over at the orangette with narrowed eyes, "Oh? And what does he mean exactly?"

"Easy. He said 'Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests.' Happy?" Ichigo replied pushing way from the railing.

The dwarves looked over at Gandalf who nodded, "He is correct, Master Glóin. Lord Elrond is offering you food."

The dwarves seemed to deliberate for a few seconds before the one called Glóin told them to lead on. Ichigo smiled and stepped over to his adopted father. Elrond gave him a raised eyebrow as the two fell into step beside each other. Gandalf stayed back a bit, talking to Thorin, giving the pair a little privacy.

_"__Yes, Ichigo,"_ Elrond asked in Sindarin.

_"__Perhaps we should serve more than just the typical elvish fair. I get the feeling that they wouldn't take too kindly to salads and other leafy greens," _Ichigo replied, also in Sindarin.

_"__I see. What do you suggest, my son?" _Elrond asked as they walked.

Ichigo was more than happy to provide several examples of things that the dwarves would prefer. Especially the ones they were currently entertaining. Ichigo may not have known all their names but he knew who all the dwarves were. He'd spent time with some of them over the years, but they probably wouldn't recognize him anyway. Whenever he left Rivendell he always wore a thick black cloak that hid his body, at least when he wasn't riding that is. Ichigo was pulled back by a gentle tap to his shoulder as Elrond moved off to find someone to inform the kitchens about the change in menu. The brunette motioned to his adopted son to take the group to the bathing chambers so they could freshen up. Ichigo nodded and kept walking, his sandaled feet barely making a sound.

As they walked he couldn't help but glance back at the strange company. It was a little odd to see a group of dwarves in the company of a single hobbit. The hobbit must have been someone rather special because the leader, _"Thorin"_ Zan reminded him, kept the blond close to his side. Smirking softly the orange haired man continued leading them around. When they arrived at the bathing chambers there was obvious relief on all of their faces, save Thorin and the tall, balding dwarf with tattoos on his head. They still looked wary and tense. Ichigo turned to the group after letting them in.

"If you want I can hang around until you're all finished and then take you to the dining hall," he said leaning against the wall.

"We don't need the company of an _elf_ while we bathe," Thorin growled despite the look the hobbit was giving him.

Ichigo threw back his head and laughed at that before speaking, "I'm actually not an elf, Thorin. I'm technically human, I just happen to look like an elf."

That had all the dwarves and the hobbit looking at him. Ichigo just smiled at them before walking to the other side of the room and sitting cross-legged on the floor. He could feel the eyes of the dwarves on him as he sat, but didn't react. Eventually they lost interest in the soul reaper and focused more on bathing. Ichigo just smiled, shaking his head softly as he waited. Things were about to get interesting. He just hopped Elladan and Elrohir didn't decide to make things worse.


End file.
